Shia and Sunni are the two branches of Islam.

They share most of the basic tenets and principles of the religion. Differences between Shias and Sunnisinitially stemmed from political strife and not any spiritual disagreements. These differences originally appeared after the passing away of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The so-called division of Muslims between Shia and Sunni is akin to thedifferences between Catholics and Protestants.

Comparison chart
Differences Similarities </> Embed this chart

Shia
Population

Sunni
1.2 billion God created angels from light. They do not have their own free will and always obey the commandments of God. Virgin Birth Affirmed Denied. Jesus did not die on the cross, but his body went up to heaven. Christianity and Judaism are "People of the Book." Denied. Jesus did not die on the cross. Jesus will come back down from heaven in the future. Caliph, Imaam (Saint), Mujtahid, Allamah, Maulana Mosque, Eidgah Not permitted Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha, Eid-eMilaad-un-Nabi Man may marry up to 4 women. Ahmadiyya (Ahmedi) - a sect of

200 million

Angels obey God's commandments. They have limited free will, though no drive to Angels sin.
Birth of Jesus Second coming of Jesus Death of Jesus View of other Abrahamic religions Resurrection of Jesus

Virgin Birth Affirmed Denied. Jesus did not die on the cross, but his body went up to heaven. Christianity and Judaism are "People of the Book." Denied. Jesus did not die on the cross. Jesus will come back down from heaven in the future. Imaam (divinely guided), Ayatollah, Mujtahid, Allamah, Maulana Mosque, Imambarah or Ashurkhana, Eidgah Not permitted Ashura, Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha, Eid al ghadeer Man may marry up to 4 women. Baha'i - a separate religion

Clergy Place of worship Use of statues and pictures Holy days Marriage Offshoot religions

Shia

Sunni
Islam

Origin Places most closely associated with independent history of the faith Adherents called Geographic Presence

From teachings of Prophet Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. Kufa, Karbala

From teachings of Prophet Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. Madinah (Medina), Makkah (Mecca)

Shiites, Shia, Shii, Ehl-e-Tash'e Majority in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Lebanon. Minority spread across the world.

Sunni, Ehl-e-Sunnah Majority in most Muslim countries. Minority spread across the world. One God, Angels, Revealed Books of God including the Quran, Messengers, Day of Judgement, Prophethood 1. Testament of Faith 2. Prayer 3. Mandatory alms, 2.5% for needy (zakaat) 4. Fasting 5. Pilgrimage 6. Struggle in the way of God to promote good and stop bad. One God Saints. Considered as persons with strong faith in Quran and Sunnah. Can be any practicing Muslim chosen by agreement of the authorities of the muslim populace (ummah). No

One God, Angels, Revealed Books of God including the Quran, Messengers, Day of Articles of Belief Judgement, Prophethood, Imaamah 1. Prayer 2. Fasting 3. Pilgrimage 4. Mandatory alms, 20% for Imaam and the needy (khums) 5.Jihad 6. Promotion of Pillars of faith good 7. Dissuasion from bad 8. Reaffirmation 9. Disassociation from the enemies of Islam starting from first Caliph.
Belief of God Imams identified as

One God Divinely guided. Considered as the only legitimate interpreters of the Quran.

Must be male child from lineage of Ali Required lineage from Fatimah.
for ruler

Muhammad nominated a successor ?

Yes, his cousin and son in law Ali ibn Abu Talib

12 Infallible Imams; Ali bin Abi Talib, Hassan, Hussain, Ali ZainulAbideen, Successors after the Muhammad AlBaqir, Jaafar AlSaadiq, Prophet Musa AlKaazim, Ali AlRaza, Muhammad AlTaqi, Ali AlNaqi, Hasan AlAskari, Muhammad AlMahdi (hidden).
Beliefs regarding

The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, Uthman bin Afan, Ali bin Abi Talib,

Belief in the Quran

Belief in the Quran

Shia
revealed scriptures Continuation of authoritative revelation Collection of religious narrations from Imaams and Mujtahids

Sunni

Partially true. Imaams are considered divinely guided. The purpose is to explain and safeguard the current faith and its esoteric meaning. Nahajul Balagha, Kitab al-Kafi, Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, AlIstibsaar

No, authoritative revelation ended with Prophet Muhammad.

Muatta Maalik, Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Jami al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Nasae. Considered as a 'Lion of God', the first male convert to Islam, and a warrior champion of the faith.

Prophet said inter alia: - Exemption from the Hellfire comes with love for Ali (A.S). View on the - Of whomever I was master, Ali (A.S) is personality of Imaam Ali his master. - Ali (A.S) is from me and I am from him, and he is the protector of every true believer after m Ithna Ashariyya ('Twelvers'), Ismailis ('Seveners') and Zaidis ('Fivers'). The latter Branches and their do not agree to infallibility of Imaams or to status the occultation of the 12th Imaam Mahdi.

Four contributing schools of Law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali. Two Schools of Creed: Ashari and Maturidi. These branches count each other on right path with different way of thinking. Friday No, termed as adultery.

Special Day of worship Temporary unannounced Marriage Name of the practice means Current leaders

Friday Yes

"party" or "partisans" of Ali Mujtahids

"well-trodden path" or "tradition" Imaams (not in the same sense as Shi'a, where Imaams are divinely guided) Major groups of Sunnis do not accept intercession. However, the method of prayer at dargahs or ziyarat-gahs (tombs of saints) may be considered close to intercession. Little stress on esoteric meaning or taqiyya. While 'inner meaning' of Quraan is accepted as existing, stress is on literal rather than mystic

Yes (14 Infallibles only - From Prophet until the Mahdi, including Fatima, daughter Intercession of the Prophet and wife of Ali) permitted

Public affirmation of faith and propagation of teachings

The Shia allow 'Taqiyya': which is to be able to deny faith when under grave danger. This extends to the belief that true meaning of faith is hidden until the coming of twelfth

Shia
Imaam. To commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein, Shiite groups march in massive parades on the 10th day of the Muharram Self Flagellation month. There is self-flagellation i.e. (Lattum) flogging own back, chest with hands, knives, blades or chains. Permitted by some scholars. No, it was hijacked by hypocrites, especially the first three Caliphs.

Sunni
interpretation. Notable exceptions are Sufi schools. No, termed as major sin

Did Islam achieve ultimate glory?

Yes, mission of Muhammad achieved glory at the time of first three Caliphs and sustained by next three Caliphs including Ali bin Abi Talib. Arabic No

Original Language(s) Building and visiting shrines permitted Building and visiting mosques permitted

Arabic, Farsi Yes

Yes

Yes

Contents

1 The Division between Shias and Sunnis 2 Differences in beliefs 3 Shia vs Sunni Demographics o 3.1 Shia-Sunni Conflict 4 Theological differences

o o

5 Religious Authority 5.1 Sunni - Rationality & Legality 5.2 Shia - Inherited & Mystical 6 Shop For 7 References

The Division between Shias and Sunnis

The major movements of Islam

The division between Shias and Sunnis dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word "Sunni" in Arabic comes from a word meaning "one who follows the traditions of the Prophet." On the other hand, Shia Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household" (of the Prophet). From this initial question of political leadership, some aspects of spiritual life have beenaffected and now differ between the two groups of Muslims.

Differences in beliefs
Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves. Shia Muslims also feel animosity towards some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, based on their positions and actions during the early years of discord

about leadership in the community. Many of these companions (Abu Bakr, Umar, Aisha, etc.) have narrated traditions about the Prophet's life and spiritual practice. Shia Muslims reject these traditions (hadith) and do not base any of their religious practices on the testimony of these individuals. This naturally gives rise to some differences in religious practice between the two groups. These differences touch all detailed aspects of religious life: prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. It is important to remember that despite all of these differences in opinion and practice, Shia and Sunni Muslims share the main articles of Islamic belief and are considered by most to be brethren in faith. In fact, most Muslims do not distinguish themselves by claiming membership in any particular group, but prefer to call themselves simply, "Muslims."

Shia vs Sunni Demographics

Sunni Muslims make up the majority (85%) of Muslims all over the world. Significant populations of Shia Muslims can be found in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon.

Shia-Sunni Conflict
In June 2012, attacks on Shiite targets in Iraq killed scores of people.[1] In January 2012, The Economist reportedthat there was a growing sense of unease in the global Shia community because of attacks on them by Sunni extremists. They cited the attacks on Ashura and later in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bahrain. In Bahrain, the Shia majority is ruled by a Sunni minority, a government that has grown to become highly unpopular.[2] In Syria, a regime dominated by Alawites, an esoteric offshoot of Shia Islam, is bloodily failing to suppress an uprising largely led by members of the Sunni majority.[3]